Psalm Meditation 924
Third Sunday in Lent
March 4, 2018
Psalm 82
1 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk around in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
6 I say, “You are gods, children of the Most High, all of you;
7 nevertheless, you shall die like mortals, and fall like any prince.”
8 Rise up, O God, judge the earth; for all the nations belong to you!
(NRSV)
Many of us take comfort in knowing that we are where we deserve to be. Something we have done gives us the right to be right where we are in the economic and influence pecking order. We might have some question about those who have more than we; for the most part things are just as they should be. Then a psalm like this comes along to remind us that God has an eye toward widows and orphans, the lowly and destitute, the outsider and outcast. If God has a special concern for them why are they not better off?
Could it be that we too are to have a special concern for those who have less than we? Before “A rising tide lifts all boats.” can become helpful to those in some form of poverty we have to be sure that all people are in a boat to be lifted. Could it be that what we have is meant to be used for the sake of those whose needs are greater than ours rather than to move us farther up the economic and influence scale? As people of God our goal is not to be self-aggrandizement; our goal is to give to others as we have received.
As children of God we do well to take the advice of John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist movement, “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can, for as long as you can.” The problem is not with having money and other resources. The problem is in using our gifts and resources for our own selfish benefit rather than to help those whose needs are greater than our own.
February 26, 2018
LCM
Monday, February 26, 2018
Monday, February 19, 2018
Psalm Meditation 923
Second Sunday in Lent
February 25, 2018
Psalm 119:17-32
17 Deal bountifully with your servant, so that I may live and observe your word.
18 Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
19 I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing for your ordinances at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments;
22 take away from me their scorn and contempt, for I have kept your decrees.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Your decrees are my delight, they are my counselors.
25 My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word.
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
29 Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me your law.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your ordinances before me.
31 I cling to your decrees, O LORD; let me not be put to shame.
32 I run the way of your commandments, for you enlarge my understanding.
(NRSV)
This psalm has 176 verses, 8 for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first word of each of those eight verses begins with the letter in the sequence. One through eight begin with the letter aleph, nine through sixteen begin beth. Because translation is an approximation of the original we lose that part of the psalm and wonder why Psalm 119 has to be so long and repetitive as it goes on and on about how great the law of God is. One of the problems is that somewhere in our history we decided that most laws are for other people and it is our privilege to pick and choose the ones we want. We also give ourselves the right to decide which laws apply to others, even if they don’t apply to us. A psalm celebrating the law of God gets troubling.
In childhood and youth we begin to look forward to being adults so that we can make our own rules and no one can tell us what to do. As adults we long for the days of youth and childhood when rules were simple and didn’t have the nuance of the rules we live with on a daily basis. I have asked, and heard others ask, can’t we just go back to the 10 Commandments instead of having pages and pages, books and books of laws in this country. We could do that until someone did something that pushed the limits of a particular commandment. We would make a rule to clarify the meaning of the original rule, we would need to put in some exceptions at a later date, add something else later and suddenly we would be back to pages and books of rules and laws.
This psalm may need all 176 verses to emphasize the point that rules and laws are a good thing, especially the rules and laws of God. When we get burdened by having to follow the intricacies of law, make the time to read this psalm. When we feel as if we are threading a needle with a piece of legal rope, make the time to read this psalm. When we get annoyed that some people seem to be above the law, make the time to read this psalm. When it appears that some folks bear the full weight of the law, make the time to read this psalm. Yes, those situations will still exist and we will want to do something to make the laws just and fair, by reading this psalm we can honor the rule of law with thanks to God for loving us enough to care what we do with ourselves and each other.
February 19, 2018
LCM
Second Sunday in Lent
February 25, 2018
Psalm 119:17-32
17 Deal bountifully with your servant, so that I may live and observe your word.
18 Open my eyes, so that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
19 I live as an alien in the land; do not hide your commandments from me.
20 My soul is consumed with longing for your ordinances at all times.
21 You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments;
22 take away from me their scorn and contempt, for I have kept your decrees.
23 Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statutes.
24 Your decrees are my delight, they are my counselors.
25 My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to your word.
26 When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes.
27 Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.
29 Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me your law.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your ordinances before me.
31 I cling to your decrees, O LORD; let me not be put to shame.
32 I run the way of your commandments, for you enlarge my understanding.
(NRSV)
This psalm has 176 verses, 8 for each letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The first word of each of those eight verses begins with the letter in the sequence. One through eight begin with the letter aleph, nine through sixteen begin beth. Because translation is an approximation of the original we lose that part of the psalm and wonder why Psalm 119 has to be so long and repetitive as it goes on and on about how great the law of God is. One of the problems is that somewhere in our history we decided that most laws are for other people and it is our privilege to pick and choose the ones we want. We also give ourselves the right to decide which laws apply to others, even if they don’t apply to us. A psalm celebrating the law of God gets troubling.
In childhood and youth we begin to look forward to being adults so that we can make our own rules and no one can tell us what to do. As adults we long for the days of youth and childhood when rules were simple and didn’t have the nuance of the rules we live with on a daily basis. I have asked, and heard others ask, can’t we just go back to the 10 Commandments instead of having pages and pages, books and books of laws in this country. We could do that until someone did something that pushed the limits of a particular commandment. We would make a rule to clarify the meaning of the original rule, we would need to put in some exceptions at a later date, add something else later and suddenly we would be back to pages and books of rules and laws.
This psalm may need all 176 verses to emphasize the point that rules and laws are a good thing, especially the rules and laws of God. When we get burdened by having to follow the intricacies of law, make the time to read this psalm. When we feel as if we are threading a needle with a piece of legal rope, make the time to read this psalm. When we get annoyed that some people seem to be above the law, make the time to read this psalm. When it appears that some folks bear the full weight of the law, make the time to read this psalm. Yes, those situations will still exist and we will want to do something to make the laws just and fair, by reading this psalm we can honor the rule of law with thanks to God for loving us enough to care what we do with ourselves and each other.
February 19, 2018
LCM
Monday, February 12, 2018
Psalm Meditation 922
First Sunday in Lent
February 18, 2018
Psalm 32
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
(NRSV)
The worst part about a secret sin is that it forces us into a life of hiding and deceit. When we can’t or won’t let anyone in on our secret we expend a lot of energy keeping up the appearance that nothing is wrong, that all is well, that we are perfect in some sense. The psalmist admits to wasting away and feeling dried up in the silence and loneliness of an unconfessed sin. It is true for the rest of us as well. Keeping our sin a secret closes us off from any help we might receive from those around us.
The acknowledgment, confession, of sin opens us to all sorts of help and support. People around us are free to let us know that we are not alone, not the only ones to have committed this variety of sin. There is always the attempt by some to keep us confined by shame and ridicule however the support we are offered by others outweighs the downside of confession. People will surprise us with their own stories of sin, confession, and redemption as we confess our sins to the community around us. When we confess we bridge the distance our silence has created between us and God.
Having confessed and been supported by the community and God we have something to offer those around us. As people see the depth of our relationship with God they will want to know what we have done that they have not. We can teach others the strength that comes from unburdening ourselves of the weight of our unconfessed and secret sins. We can lead others to the joy of God’s steadfast love at work in us and “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”
February 12, 2018
LCM
First Sunday in Lent
February 18, 2018
Psalm 32
1 Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
3 While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer. Selah
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah
6 Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you; at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
7 You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with glad cries of deliverance. Selah
8 I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, without understanding, whose temper must be curbed with bit and bridle, else it will not stay near you.
10 Many are the torments of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds those who trust in the LORD.
11 Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
(NRSV)
The worst part about a secret sin is that it forces us into a life of hiding and deceit. When we can’t or won’t let anyone in on our secret we expend a lot of energy keeping up the appearance that nothing is wrong, that all is well, that we are perfect in some sense. The psalmist admits to wasting away and feeling dried up in the silence and loneliness of an unconfessed sin. It is true for the rest of us as well. Keeping our sin a secret closes us off from any help we might receive from those around us.
The acknowledgment, confession, of sin opens us to all sorts of help and support. People around us are free to let us know that we are not alone, not the only ones to have committed this variety of sin. There is always the attempt by some to keep us confined by shame and ridicule however the support we are offered by others outweighs the downside of confession. People will surprise us with their own stories of sin, confession, and redemption as we confess our sins to the community around us. When we confess we bridge the distance our silence has created between us and God.
Having confessed and been supported by the community and God we have something to offer those around us. As people see the depth of our relationship with God they will want to know what we have done that they have not. We can teach others the strength that comes from unburdening ourselves of the weight of our unconfessed and secret sins. We can lead others to the joy of God’s steadfast love at work in us and “Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.”
February 12, 2018
LCM
Monday, February 5, 2018
Psalm Meditation 921
Transfiguration Sunday
February 11, 2018
Psalm 21
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord, and in your help how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him—length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
(NRSV)
There were kings that were chosen by God and there were kings that did not walk in the way of God. By the time the books of Kings and Chronicles were written the authors of those books seemed to know which kings were good and which were not. I wonder if there was in disagreeement over the faithfulness of a given king during a particular reign. I believe that each of us believes that we are doing the right thing, at least in the moment we are contemplating and acting. Sometimes it is not until years later that we realize that our actions were not as pure as we believed at the time. I am sure that kings were even more convinced of the rightness of their actions due to the absolute power given to kings of the biblical era.
One of the reasons that the definitive history of an era is not written until 50+ years have passed is that it takes that long for those with personal investments and prejudices to lose their influence in the evaluation. All-powerful kings likely declared and believed themselves to be living in the favor of the divine beings of the culture. It takes time to sort out which ones were faithful followers and which ones were not. Every victory is seen by supporters as evidence of divine blessing and each loss is seen by detractors as evidence of divine curse. It takes time to sort out the good and bad, the truth and fiction of an era.
We do well to keep ourselves from putting too much hope and trust in the rulers we have at any given moment. As people of faith we can look beyond the power of those in charge to see where God is pointing and leading. Because humans are mortal it is important to have an eternal focus for our ideals of faithful practice. We look to humans to lead us in the short term. It is important to look to God and the ways of God for the long term. “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.”
February 5, 2018
LCM
Transfiguration Sunday
February 11, 2018
Psalm 21
1 In your strength the king rejoices, O Lord, and in your help how greatly he exults!
2 You have given him his heart’s desire, and have not withheld the request of his lips. Selah
3 For you meet him with rich blessings; you set a crown of fine gold on his head.
4 He asked you for life; you gave it to him—length of days forever and ever.
5 His glory is great through your help; splendor and majesty you bestow on him.
6 You bestow on him blessings forever; you make him glad with the joy of your presence.
7 For the king trusts in the Lord, and through the steadfast love of the Most High he shall not be moved.
8 Your hand will find out all your enemies; your right hand will find out those who hate you.
9 You will make them like a fiery furnace when you appear. The Lord will swallow them up in his wrath, and fire will consume them.
10 You will destroy their offspring from the earth, and their children from among humankind.
11 If they plan evil against you, if they devise mischief, they will not succeed.
12 For you will put them to flight; you will aim at their faces with your bows.
13 Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.
(NRSV)
There were kings that were chosen by God and there were kings that did not walk in the way of God. By the time the books of Kings and Chronicles were written the authors of those books seemed to know which kings were good and which were not. I wonder if there was in disagreeement over the faithfulness of a given king during a particular reign. I believe that each of us believes that we are doing the right thing, at least in the moment we are contemplating and acting. Sometimes it is not until years later that we realize that our actions were not as pure as we believed at the time. I am sure that kings were even more convinced of the rightness of their actions due to the absolute power given to kings of the biblical era.
One of the reasons that the definitive history of an era is not written until 50+ years have passed is that it takes that long for those with personal investments and prejudices to lose their influence in the evaluation. All-powerful kings likely declared and believed themselves to be living in the favor of the divine beings of the culture. It takes time to sort out which ones were faithful followers and which ones were not. Every victory is seen by supporters as evidence of divine blessing and each loss is seen by detractors as evidence of divine curse. It takes time to sort out the good and bad, the truth and fiction of an era.
We do well to keep ourselves from putting too much hope and trust in the rulers we have at any given moment. As people of faith we can look beyond the power of those in charge to see where God is pointing and leading. Because humans are mortal it is important to have an eternal focus for our ideals of faithful practice. We look to humans to lead us in the short term. It is important to look to God and the ways of God for the long term. “Be exalted, O Lord, in your strength! We will sing and praise your power.”
February 5, 2018
LCM
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